Hi folks, seeking some oily advice.
I swapped the engine in a VW Golf for a different one from a newer VW Golf. The car used to use ATF for its PAS system. The PAS pump on the new engine used to run the green CHF fluid. I'm in kind of a pickle there, the rack on the car calls for red ATF and the pump calls for green CHF.
Any ideas which fluid to run? Is it safe to use ATF? Will it not damage the seals in the pump and vice versa if I use CHF? I'm a fan of Motul products and I will be choosing from Motul Multi ATF and Motul Multi HF.
Thanks in advance!
ATF vs CHF
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Id imagine youd be fine, try to get as much out of the system as you can, and maybe do another flush with a new reservoir in a few thousand miles.
Power Assisted Steering
Originally Posted by Audios
Id imagine youd be fine, try to get as much out of the system as you can, and maybe do another flush with a new reservoir in a few thousand miles.
I'd agree that CHF would be an improvement. What dlundblad mentions about vehicles being switched to CHF is true. There are precedents in Mercedes as well. Heck, if I had his Volvo, I'd probably put in CHF without even thinking about it.
Anecdotally, my G37 calls for Dexron-VI ATF as PSF. Pentosin claims that CHF 11S is suitable for the system (presumably after a flush).
ATF to CHF is ok.
CHF to ATF is generally NOT ok because ATF doesn't always play nice with the seals designed to use CHF.
Originally Posted by dlundblad
The system may have just been back-spec'd to CHF. Per the manual, the Volvo in my signature requires ATF. Technically, it's supposed to have CHF.
ATF to CHF is an improvement. I'd be hesitant if it was the other way around.
ATF to CHF should be OK. Just do a through job purging the ATF out of the existing parts first.
What's in it now? 
Its bone dry at the moment. It's a project car. It did not have power steering (Golf Mk2 CL), I retrofitted a rack from a Golf Mk2 GTI donor car that used to run ATF and the engine along with the pump and other accessories is from a later model Golf Mk3 GTI that used to run CHF. Its a Frankensteins monster. 
Thank you guys for the input, I opted for CHF. Nothing is leaking for now. We'll see how it goes.
Many thanks!
Thank you guys for the input, I opted for CHF. Nothing is leaking for now. We'll see how it goes.
Many thanks!
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Originally Posted by ET16
CHF is a superior fluid, especially in cold climates.
Originally Posted by mightymousetech
Originally Posted by ET16
CHF is a superior fluid, especially in cold climates.
Whats odd about the situation is that there is no real information abut which uses what fluid. As an example, my E46 ends in 61434. We had an 04 M3 that ended in 58892 the other day, so veyr close to my production date. My car calls for ATF, his called for CHF, and the P/S reservoir with filter we replaced had notes saying refill with whatever come in the car, and the cap did not specifiy what fluid on the new res.
Yeah...BMW... you can go broke with the quality of EVERYTHING in those cars, including lack of diligence in informational precision.
If you post the VIN We can try to find out.
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Originally Posted by Audios
Whats odd about the situation is that there is no real information abut which uses what fluid. As an example, my E46 ends in 61434. We had an 04 M3 that ended in 58892 the other day, so veyr close to my production date. My car calls for ATF, his called for CHF, and the P/S reservoir with filter we replaced had notes saying refill with whatever come in the car, and the cap did not specifiy what fluid on the new res.
Originally Posted by Audios
Whats odd about the situation is that there is no real information abut which uses what fluid. As an example, my E46 ends in 61434. We had an 04 M3 that ended in 58892 the other day, so veyr close to my production date. My car calls for ATF, his called for CHF, and the P/S reservoir with filter we replaced had notes saying refill with whatever come in the car, and the cap did not specifiy what fluid on the new res.
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